loiner1965

looks like a cheap cast copy but just curious about the mei.....do they just use any name or is there a certain namr they use all the time. many thanks

I put a pic of the kanji in the general nihonto discussion forum so you can take a peek if you wish I think it's gimei but my knowledge is not high enough to say a definite yes

Will do over weekend as away at min

i put he wrong pic in the other section so i will post it here

sorry......trying to post another pic but pc playing up. i think its gimei but they is always that doubt in the back of my mind etc. i cannot find another mei of kinmichi of around 1680 to compare it too

is this mei gimei of the kinmichi wakizashi i am interested in....usual chrysanthenum and kanji etc

its arrived and its a wakizashi nice wavy and complete hamon and nice turn back in the kissiki. to my eyes its not been acid etched as i lightly uchiko it and its looks ok. now good or bad lol.......i can see grain in certain light and under a magnifying glass. near the habaki i thought i could see rub throughs but i am not sure so i measured it and its around 5.5mm thick. the grain i can see is ayasugi or o-mokume but i would say the former is favourite. not too fussed either way or if its tired as it looks pleasing to my eyes. ohh.......its still sharp edit...noticed in certain light that they is shadows above the hamon like tear drops towards the shinogi etc....seen this before on blades but i cannot find a pic or a name to it. opologies for any confusion 2nd edit.....think its called Midare-utsuri i can see

$1000.000 question......how do we know if a sword was made with foreign steel or tamahagne without destroying the sword. as we know Japan was inporting foreign steel fro portugal i believe from the 1600 s

maxbliss888 i have similiar blade which is a gunto made by kanetoshi. it has a beautiful suguhu hamon and ko-itame grain which you can clearly see as the sword in your pic. my blade has a seki or showa stamped nakago ( sorry not got sword in hand and my memory is poor now lol )but clearly is handmade and water quenched as comfirmed by the polisher who worked on it. brian hit the nail on the head when he says some are hand made but not traditionally made with tamahagne unless they are star stamped etc

Joe....couple of years ago I started a thread on here about the gendaito katana by akinori tanaka and Chris , John and k morita San helped me tremendously on it but I cannot seem to be able to locate the pics etc. Hope it's the same smith you are wanting to see....I shall take more pics of it over the weekend for you. Very light in hand and feels quite comfortable if that makes sense

Many thanks . I have a couple of gendaitos....kanetoshi and akinori etc and a kanemune . Also have a tired and abused old naga mitsu tanto which should have gone to the scrap yard years ago but I like to rehome them for what they were and not as they are now. Same as my naginata by kiyomitsu which developed a large umegame when polished but again I still own it. Not into the value or making money on the swords but I just like the history and having them around if that makes sense

true i can make a fast buck eerrrr pound but i always seem to hoard them etc.......

we speak the same language stephen but terminology can be so different lol can be a flipper.....is that good or bad

find it alot easier now to pos pics as before i had to add them to photobucket first which i did do at first and realise they was no link lol

another pic

agree brian that people should leave the polishing to the professionels. joe.....you totally baffled me but thats not hard to do nowadays

it was very cheap brian......in fact a steal. i couldnt see any dark peaks in the hamon to indicate oil quenched and i did think of acid etching but thought it turned the hamon more milky and slurry looking. no idications on advert to say of any arsenal stamps and no time to ask etc.....so i took the plunge and see what happens lol

saw this advertised and quite fancied it even though i think its oil quenched. i may be wrong but i had to make a quick decision on wether to buy or not just by seeing some pics....hoping my metal saya i have fits lol any info on pics be most welcomed

I think the sword in question is a stunner who ever made it. My knowledge on swords is very basic but I like what I have bought even the kiyomitsu with the fatal flaw of umegame . I cherish them for what they are. Brian is correct we should never make anything personnel as nobody was there when the sword was made so we can only speculate. Interesting thread btw so let's not spoil it please.

Many thanks Steve... Not familiar with the maker unforunately

http://www.spandaumilitariashop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tn_DSCF10203.jpg Curious about this mei if anyone can translate please

The sword polisher you asked for is called John Bolton and he lives in the Wirral near Liverpool If you cannot get his contact details then I will pm you them but google is your friend He polished 2 of my swords and was pleased with both of them. One of them is my kanetoshi katana which if you do a search on here you find it's hand made with ko- itame hada and a beautiful suguhu temper line, this sword always displays a seki stamp on the tang

Agree with above I have 3 guntos but 2 of them are in polish My fabled kanetoshi is in perfect polish with a great Hamon and beautiful ko-itame hada is hand made with a seki stamp but not traditionally made ....as in tamahagne Whilst my other katana by akinori is gendaito and traditionally made Both have their own merits and if I had to choose between the two then I would favour the kanetoshi blade..... No reason other than my opinion

http://www.buddhism-guide.com/buddhism/dharma_wheel.htm

As above please Did bob take pics for you to see it before he sent it off